Aboabo River
| Country | Ghana  |
|---|---|
| Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd | Ashanti Region, Kumasi Metropolitan District |
| Coordinate location | 6°41′0″N 1°36′0″W |
Aboabo River be urban river for Kumasi, de capital of Ashanti Region for Ghana. E be part of de drainage network for Kumasi Metropolitan Area, wey e dey flow thru densely settled parts of de city. De river dey rise around Tafo-Pankrono for northern Kumasi den dey flow southwards to meet Sisan River for Asokwa.[1]
De river be one of Kumasi ein important urban watercourses sake of e dey help stormwater drainage, den e sanna dey insyd one heavily built-up catchment. Academic den disaster-risk studies examine de river in relation to water pollution, land-use pressure den annual flooding insyd Kumasi metropolis.[2][3]
Course den basin
[edit | edit source]Aboabo River dey originate from Tafo-Pankrono area for de northern part of Kumasi den dey flow southwards thru de city. One disaster-risk profile wey UNDP Ghana prepare describe de river as water body wey dey join Sisan River at Asokwa.[1] De same report identify Owusu Ansa den Dichemso streams as major tributaries of Aboabo River.[1]
De river get reported length of about 6.05 km. De UNDP Ghana risk profile report say de channel be about 2.5 metres wide upstream den about 30.5 metres wide downstream, plus average flow speed of 0.87 m/s.[1] Settlements wey dey insyd de river basin include Pankrono, Moshie Zongo, Buokrom, New Tafo, Dichemso, Aboabo, Anloga, Amakom, Manhyia, Asokwa den Atonsu.[1]
Aboabo basin be one of de main drainage basins of Kumasi. One disaster-risk report on Kumasi identify four main drainage basins for de city: Subin, Aboabo, Sisan den Wiwi basins. Dese basins dey drain northern den central parts of Kumasi, den de city ein rapid infrastructure development den drainage constraints dey affect dem.[1]
Urban Setting den land use
[edit | edit source]Aboabo River dey flow thru one highly urbanised catchment. Dem study land-use activities around de river togeda plus those around Subin River secof both water bodies dey pass thru built-up parts of Kumasi.[4] De land-use literature identify pressure on river buffer zones as major issue for urban water bodies insyd Kumasi.[4]
Urbanisation insyd de catchment affects runoff, drainage capacity den de river ein exposure to pollution. De UNDP Ghana risk profile note say urbanisation of Kumasi catchments dey reduce infiltration den dey increase runoff. Blocked channels, construction, garbage, silt den vegetation sanso contribute to flood hazards insyd de city.[1] Dese pressures make Aboabo River both natural watercourse den part of Kumasi ein urban stormwater system.
Pollution
[edit | edit source]Aboabo River be de subject of research on inland water pollution insyd Kumasi. One study by Danquah, Abass den Nikoi assess de water quality of de river den examine human-related factors wey contribute to pollution. De study use physico-chemical den bacteriological assessment of water samples, togeda plus observation, interviews, informal conversations den cross-sectional survey of 396 households insyd de river basin.[2]
De study find say water from Aboabo River be polluted den unsuitable for domestic consumption.[2] De main direct sources of pollution identified be indiscriminate dumping of refuse, channelling of raw sewage into de river, open defecation along de river banks den discharge of industrial waste into de river.[2] De study sanso identify population growth den institutional challenges as underlying factors wey contribute to de pollution problem.[2]
Pollution of Aboabo River reflects wider sanitation den land-use problems insyd dense urban catchments. Danquah, Abass den Nikoi recommend enforcement of by-laws, provision of adequate sanitation facilities den stronger involvement of opinion leaders to promote environmentally responsible practices among residents.[2]
Flooding
[edit | edit source]Aboabo River basin dem associate plus recurrent flooding insyd Kumasi. Oppong ein 2011 thesis on environmental hazards insyd Ghanaian cities examine annual floods along Aboabo River insyd Kumasi Metropolitan Area. De study focus on communities wey dey include Anloga, Dichemso, Aboabo den Amakom, wey dem find say flooding insyd de basin affected life den property.[3]
Oppong identify both natural den human factors behind flooding inside de basin. De thesis link flooding to increases in average temperature, annual rainfall den seasonal rainfall over de previous thirty years. E sanso identify poor land use, unplanned settlement development den indiscriminate disposal of refuse into den along de banks of de river as human causes.[3] De study report socioeconomic effects wey dey include loss of life den property, financial problems den health problems among inhabitants of de basin.[3]
Flood events around Aboabo area sanso be reported insyd Ghanaian news media. Insyd July 2015, de Daily Graphic report say Presido John Dramani Mahama announce plans to desilt Aboabo River after heavy rains insyd Kumasi. De report state say de river burst ein banks insyd Aboabo suburb den floodwaters enter homes.[5] De same report state say an old bridge over de river go be replaced to allow water flow more freely.[5]
One 2018 conference paper on urban wetlands den floods insyd Ghana refer to Aboabo River wey dey overflow ein banks insyd Kumasi on 27 June 2015 den dey cause deaths.[6] Flooding around Aboabo be part of wider pattern of urban flood risk insyd Kumasi, wer drainage channels, wetlands den built-up settlements interact during heavy rainfall.
Management den mitigation
[edit | edit source]Studies den reports on Aboabo River propose several responses to reduce pollution den flood risk. Pollution-focused recommendations include enforcement of by-laws, improvement of sanitation facilities, public education den stronger local leadership insyd environmental management.[2] Flood-focused recommendations include proper waste disposal, enforcement of planning regulations, protection of river reserves, resettlement away from high-risk locations, desilting den construction anaa improvement of drainage channels.[3]
De 2015 desilting announcement follow flooding insyd Kumasi wey na dem present as short-term measure to improve channel capacity den reduce flood risk.[5] Long-term management of de river basin dey depend on maintaining drainage channels, preventing waste disposal into de river, controlling construction along de channel den improving sanitation den solid-waste systems insyd settlements within de catchment.
References
[edit | edit source]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Schuurmans, Hanneke (28 December 2014). "Risk Profiles of Hotspots in the Pilot Districts" (PDF). UNDP Ghana.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Danquah, Leslie; Abass, Kabila; Nikoi, Aristotle Afutu (2011). "Anthropogenic Pollution of Inland Waters: the Case of the Aboabo River in Kumasi, Ghana". Journal of Sustainable Development. 4 (6): 103–115. doi:10.5539/jsd.v4n6p103. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Oppong, Barbara (2011). Environmental hazards in Ghanaian cities: the incidence of annual floods along the Aboabo river in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area (KMA) of the Ashanti Region of Ghana (MA thesis). Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- 1 2 Abubakari, Ahmed (13 July 2012). "Impact of land use activities on Subin and Aboabo Rivers in Kumasi Metropolis". Academia. doi:10.5897/IJWREE12.036.
- 1 2 3 Boadu, Kwame Asare (1 July 2015). "Aboabo River to be desilted — President Mahama". Daily Graphic. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Twumasi-Ampofo, K. (2018). Urban Wetland and Floods (PDF). Retrieved 31 May 2026.